Kaori is known, and admired, for her reserved and dignified demeanour. She has a very graceful way of moving and while distant, she is still very well-mannered. Combined with her immaculate skill, Kaori has a way of earning people's respect rather easily and it shows in how she is reverred by the majority of her classmates on Totsuki. Many would say, there is something "noble" about her.

While regarded as someone very admirable, Kaori is equally considered to be very unapproachable as well. Kaori herself does not have a lot of interest in interaction with her peers or potentially making friends. She puts a lot of distance between herself and others. Kaori can usually be spotted alone and avoids socialising at all cost. Whenever she does actually talk to people, she is very quick to the point. If her speaking partner happens to be someone Kaori dislikes, she can even show herself as a bit more snarky. When it comes to her fellow classmates 115h Generation, Kaori isn't too fond of any of them. She does not think too highly of her Generation and many of them appear as incompetent idiots to her.

What Kaori lacks in social life she makes up with ambition. She is very goal-oriented and ever since she is young, her goal is to become the 1st seat of Totsuki's Elite 10 council someday. For her there is only the top and nothing else. Things like the 2nd seat or, even worse, the 3rd seat aren't of interest to her. In fact, the thought of being anyone's number 2 greatly repels her.

She approaches her goal assertively and with a lot of dedication. Kaori is a through and through workaholic. Most of her time is spend either honing her cooking skills or studying for whatever else Totsuki demands from her. Kaori is very caught up in all of the workload she puts on herself and hardly allows herself many breaks. She barely ever relaxes. One of the few activities that allows her to calm down is gardening.

Being the busy bee that Kaori is, she is also very organised. Kaori has a very well-managed calendar which she faithfully follows. Naturally, she is not too fond of spontaneity and cannot stand any chaos being brought into her carefully thought-through schedule. She is almost a little fanatic when it comes to tidiness. Kaori is person who holds quite many pet-peeves and it is very easy to annoy her.

Kaori has high confidence in her skill and is not afraid to voice that confidence either. She also is not above flaunting her status as valedictorian to make herself out to be superior in front of her peers. People who work up the guts and try to actively challenge her usually get to see Kaori at her most haughty. She would never sink to the level of using low-brow profanity. Kaori is capable of telling people off in a classy manner.

Cooking

Kaori is specialized in Medicinal cuisine and considered to be a child-prodigy in that field. As she was taught mainly by her mother Hisako, Kaori possesses a lot of knowledge on Chinese medicine.

What Kaori's cooking is majorly known for is it's energizing effect. A common comment on Kaori's dishes is that they make the one who eats them "feel young again". Way back in her childhood, Kaori already earned her nickname "Gatekeeper of the Fountain of Eternal Youth", or "Youth Preserver" for short, as a reference to that gimmick her cooking has.

Childhood

Kaori was raised by two hard-working parents who could not be around her all the time, but certainly always tried their best to be there. Kaori always admired them a whole lot and the older she grew, the more she got in touch with her parent's work and started helping Hisako organize the restaurant or help her father in the kitchen. Said father also introduced her to many high-ranking chefs or other important figures in the culinary business, who often got to have a taste of Kaori's cooking. She quickly gained the reputation of "being able to bring back youth" with her cooking.

Pre-"Shokugeki no Hiraku/Kimiko"

Kaori enrolls on Totsuki at the age that most student do. She steps into the school with her goal set on the first seat while also moving into the Shiomi Seminar to live there during Totsuki times.

"Shokugeki no Kimiko"

Kaori gets introduced as the valedictiorian of the 115th Generation as she enters the stage in the entrance ceremony for the new high schoolers to receive her badge. After Kimiko Yukihira gave her speech, she speaks to the new transfer backstage and asks her if she happens to be Hiraku Yukihira's sister. After Kimiko gives a "yes" as answer, Kaori basically tells her she doesn't cares about Hiraku's tongue and that the first place within Totsuki is reserved to her.

A few days later, Kaori finds out about the upcoming Shokugeki between Kimiko and Takayuki Hojo. She goes to watch the Shokugeki in the hope that Kimiko will loose and is disappointed when that is not the case.

She then gets to attend the Training Camp like everyone else in the first year of High School. On her first day Kaori gets into the class of Takumi Aldini, where she gives a splendid performance.

At a later time, during the Breakfast Challenge, Kaori ends up in the same hall as Kimiko. Said Kimiko shows up at Kaori's stand to tell her that she views the current task as a good opportunity to show Kaori what she is capable of. Kaori cooly replies that it will be the other way around. Once the judging begins the alluring fragranceof Kaori's dish as well as it's energising effect make it greatly popular and so she steals away almost all of the judges present in Hall A, making things a lot harder for Kimiko.